


A Twist in Reality

by ConsultingDalekoftheShire



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Eleventh Doctor Era, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 14:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5543306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConsultingDalekoftheShire/pseuds/ConsultingDalekoftheShire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the TARDIS is (yet again) pulled off course, Amy, Rory and the Doctor find themselves in present day America. Everything appears to be normal, except one small detail... they seem to be fictional characters on a television show called Doctor Who. And even worse, the Doctor can't figure out if they are in another universe, or if some deadly monster is simply playing with their brains, tricking them into believe what isn't real. Is it truth, or a hologram? Is the sick girl who faints outside the TARDIS a friend or an enemy or just a person? Are Amy and Rory even really there? Are they safe, whether by the Doctor's side or elsewhere? Is there a monster stalking them in the shadows of a world they aren't familiar with? And lastly, the Doctor wonders ... who the hell is Matt Smith?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Twist in Reality

"What is it, Pond?" sighed the Doctor. Amy rolled her eyes. "Well, nothing you'd find interesting, I suppose. Just wanted to show you. Dunno if it matters much, but...we're in America."

"Very good, Amy! We're in Ame--We're in America?"

"Yeah. Suppose it doesn't matter much."

"Pond, this changes everything! Americans are...well, they're like a completely different species! They're harsh, unpredictable, tough, rude!"

Amy snorted, smirking. "Doctor, you've seen aliens. You've seen...everything, and you're afraid of Americans?"

"Not afraid, Amy. Cautious," replied the Doctor, shaking his sonic screwdriver at Amy in a just-you-wait-and-see sort of way. He paused. "Wait, what's the year?"

"2015, looks like. Why?" answered Amy, checking the date, then narrowing her eyes and looking back at the Doctor. He immediately relaxed, his usual goofy grin jumping to his lips. "Oh, thank goodness. Right. No need to fear the Americans yet! Not for a long while..."

"Fear the Americans!" exclaimed Rory, appearing from the depths of the TARDIS.

"Where've you been, Rory?" Amy questioned, striding up to her husband and planting a kiss on his cheek. It had taken a lot of getting used to, but now Rory didn't blush anymore when she did that. He only felt very warm inside.

"Right, so," began the Doctor, pacing in the TARDIS and twirling his sonic once before tucking it back into his coat pocket, "we're somewhere in your near future. In America." He did a sort of skip-walk to the screen and gently moved Amy aside. "Ohio! Lovely place. I assume. Never actually been there. Though I've heard it's wonderful. Let's have a look, shall we?"

He ran to the door, yanked it open, and almost ran outside. Then slammed the door very hard, pivoting on one heel so his back was toward it. "Amy, Rory....there's a person out there."

His two companions exchanged confused glances. "Well, I should think there would be, yeah," muttered Rory.

"No, I mean a person. Out there. Right there. Like she's going to knock on the TARDIS door and ask to be invited inside." Rory opened his mouth again like he was going to say something, but instead just cleared his throat. Amy shrugged. "Just open the door then. Ask her what she wants. Maybe she needs help."

"Ah, yes, right Pond, because that's what any normal human would do." He rolled his eyes and said in a very high-pitched, girly voice, "Help, I'm in trouble! Oh look, an English police box from the 1960s. Not weird at all! That's obviously the answer to all of my problems!"

Amy shrugged again. "That's what I would do."

"That's because you know me, and you know that the TARDIS is associated with me. Why would some random girl I've never seen before know that this is a TARDIS, or that the TARDIS means me?"

Her hands on her hips, Amy flicked her fiery hair back and said, "I don't know, Doctor. Why don't you ask her?"

A voice from the other side of the door called, "Hello? Who's in there?"

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor prepared to open the door. Something was wrong, definitely. This wasn't right. It almost reminded him of the feeling he got in Rose's universe. It was almost the same, but something was different. Some small thing was drastically off. But the TARDIS couldn't have traveled to another universe. It was impossible ... right?

Slowly, he opened the door. A pretty, brown-haired girl stood on the other side, her mouth slightly ajar. "Hello there! I'm the Doctor. Who're you?"

The newcomer's mouth opened, a little squeaking sound came out, and after turning to run a few feet, she collapsed. The Doctor grimaced and made a confused gesture. "Rory," he called into the TARDIS, leaning in a bit, "you're a nurse, aren't you?"

"Yeah, why..." Rory faltered as he stepped out and noticed the girl. "Oh. Yeah, let me have look at her..." Amy followed him over to the door of the TARDIS. She stood slightly behind the Doctor, peering over his shoulder as Rory bent down to check the girl. "Who is she?" asked Amy, a look of concern on her pale face. "No idea," the Doctor answered, but he was cut of by Rory, who said, "Colleen Anderson."

"What?" questioned the other two, simultaneously. He pointed to a nametag on the girl's chest. "Her name is Colleen Anderson. She seems to be fine. I think she just fainted, Doctor..."

"She's...human, right?"

"I don't know," answered the Doctor, taking out his sonic screwdriver. "It looks like it, but I suppose it's always good to check." He scanned her body quickly, having Rory move over slightly. Amy crossed her arms. "Yes, completely human. One hundred percent!"

The girl groaned, inhaling deeply. Her eyes fluttered open. The Doctor smiled and Rory took the her hand. "It's alright," he began. "You just fainted. You're okay now." She looked oddly excited, and he couldn't quite tell if she'd heard him or not. "Don't sit up if you don't want to," he added quickly as she jerked upward. Amy shot him a hard glare when he put his hand on the girl's chest to keep her from sitting up. He rolled his eyes and the Doctor smirked.

Finally, Colleen Anderson, after staring at the Doctor for what seemed like multiple minutes, found her voice. "You...who are you again? You look just like one of my favorite TV characters..."

"I'm the Doctor," he answered, grinning. "Hello."

This time, Rory didn't bother stopping her as she sat up. "The Doctor? As in Doctor Who? As in Matt Smith's Doctor? You really look like him. And she looks like Karen Gillan, and he looks like....sorry, I forget who plays Rory..." Colleen ranted on, barely stopping to breathe, and confusing the three time travelers. Rory looked at the others.

"Sorry, Colleen, hold up. Who...plays me?"

"Yeah, on TV? Who played Rory? You should know, seeing as you're cosplaying so well. Really well, actually. You look just like him! And she really looks like Karen. And he looks like -- wait, don't tell me! I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. Or I'm being somehow visited by you three actors. Somehow. For some reason. Were you all just hiding in that TARDIS replica and waiting for unsuspecting victims? But how would you know I was a fan? Is this because I'm sick? Did someone pay you to do this? Well, obviously someone did, but who? Oh god, this is exciting! I mean, whoever it was must know that eleven is my favorite Doctor. Of course, don't tell David and Christopher. Do you know Christopher Eccleston? Does he go by Chris?"

Rory seemed to be in a sort of daze. The Doctor had visibly paled. Amy stood with her arms still crossed, looking between them as Colleen continued to blabber on about something. Amy cleared her throat, then said quietly, "Doctor, what's this about?"

His eyes flicked back to Colleen and he whispered beneath her talking, "Amy, Rory, back into the TARDIS, now." Raising his voice and plastering a fake smile to his face, he shook the girl's hand enthusiastically and said, "Right you are, Miss Anderson! I'm Matt Smith, and it's a pleasure to meet you. Now, you've actually won something too! Here, it's in the TARDIS...replica." He widened his eyes when he turned to his two friends and suggested, "Why don't I have...Karen...and Rory's actor...go get it." Amy smiled at Colleen while Rory stood still, obviously very confused. Amy pinched him, and the Doctor jerked his head towards the TARDIS.

As they walked off, he sort of zoned out, trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation. Colleen was still talking. Suddenly, it came to him. He cocked his head to the side. "Did you hear that?" the Time Lord interrupted. "I think they need help. Big prize, this one. I'll be back in a moment, Colleen. Don't move."

Quick as he could, he sprang up, turned, and ran into the TARDIS, slamming the door behind him. Amy had her hands on her hips. "So, what's going on?"

With a worried look on his face, the Doctor checked a few settings on the TARDIS. All signs pointed to them being in the same universe, same place they had been before. But as much as they couldn't be in another universe, they couldn't be in the one they were used to either. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. Finally, taking a deep breath, the Doctor decided to go with instinct rather than logic, something he rarely did.

"We're in an alternate universe, Pond," he stated.

"Oh yeah? And what's that supposed to mean?"

The Doctor explained, "Well, it's like our universe, but different. Similar, but not quite the same."

"But we don't know what that difference is, right?" asked Rory, still looking lost as ever. Rory the Roman. One would think that someone who'd been alive for about 2000 years would be quicker to pick up on things. The Doctor frowned.

"I've noticed one thing, Rory."

All the color drained from Amy's face as the Doctor used his sonic screwdriver to turn on the television-like screen nearby with the controls. A rather catchy theme song started playing, and then the title, Doctor Who, and then--

He switched off the screen. "Can't have us seeing the future, now can we?"

"What?" The Doctor sighed. Rory still wasn't getting it.

"2015. Spoilers."

Amy snorted. "You've been spending too much time with River."

He arched one barely-visible eyebrow. "You think so?"

"Hold on. Doctor, are you saying what I think you're saying?" questioned Rory.

"What do you think I'm saying?"

"That we're all--"

"Yes Rory, exactly. Everything is exactly the same, but ..."

"But?"

"But we're all fictional. Characters in a television show, played by actors who look like us. I, apparently, am played by a man named Matt Smith."

There was a moment of silence as this fact sunk in to Rory and Amy. Then, with a grim smile, Amy lifted her head up and said, "God, I'd love to meet him. You think he eats fish fingers and custard?"


End file.
